How to go 'green' at graduation? Think plastic!

If you've ever been frustrated by your children and their tendency to leave plastic bottles everywhere, try to have a little vision.

Think how proud you will be when they graduate from college. Then consider the very real possibility that the gowns they will wear on graduation day could be made from those very same plastic bottles, recycled.

Green Weaver's graduation gowns are made of recycled plastic bottles

Oak Hall Cap & Gown says over 100 institutions are opting to purchase graduation gowns made of 100% recycled plastic bottles in this first year the alternative garments are being offered. The company says it takes an average of 23 bottles to make each gown out of fabric spun from molten plastic pellets. As of March 1, 2010, Oak Hall Cap & Gown, based in Salem, Va., estimated that 3.5 million plastic bottles have been reclaimed from landfills to produce the eco-chic robes.

"As students walk up to the stage, there will be a degree of understanding that it's important to look for sustainable options in all areas of life," says Dedee DeLongpré Johnston, sustainability director at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, which will use the gowns this year.

"Hopefully, colleges and universities will continue to find ways to make graduation ceremonies more eco-friendly in the future."

Students can choose yet another sustainable option after graduation: They can turn in their gowns and the material will be recycled into carpet fiber.